Mohawk coaching situation generates opinion & special BOE meeting

Those who aren’t aware of what’s going on in Northwest Ohio should be. Sycamore Mohawk volleyball coach Eric Hoover was non-renewed at last week’s BOE meeting. There’s been such an uproar since, that a special meeting is being held this week that may land him his old job…Follow it all here.

Mohawk baseball coach Eric Hoover won his 100th game on Monday but that may not be his biggest victory this week. On Thursday, the Mohawk Board of Education will hold a special meeting to discuss “the employment of an employee.” The topic? Hoover’s non-renewal as volleyball coach last week. Did we mention he also coaches varsity boys basketball at Old Fort High School?

There’s a lot to digest here – and it’s not how Hoover swings three sports. It’s why he was let go as Mohawk’s volleyball coach.

The non-renewal, which happened via a 3-2 vote at last week’s BOE meeting, has been met with such uproar that Mohawk students staged a sit-in last Tuesday at the school and an online petition (below) has generated over 600 signatures. There’s also the “special” board meeting Thursday.

Hoover, in his ninth year, was non-renewed after leading the Warriors to back-to-back district titles and the 2011 D-III state tournament. Mohawk was Midland Athletic League champion this season.

So why the non-renewal? That’s what people want to know. Consider, two of the board members that voted against Hoover have kids in the system.

Mohawk volleyball coach out

SYCAMORE – By a 3-2 vote, the Mohawk Board of Education Monday night voted against renewing Eric Hoover as the varsity volleyball coach.

Board president Roger Luhring and members Todd Price and Doug Walton voted against renewing Hoover as the volleyball coach. Vice President Duane Coldiron and member Beth Margraf voted for keeping him.

Hoover just completed his ninth season, wherein he led the Warriors to their first Midland Athletic League crown and a second straight trip to the regional tournament. In 2011, he took Mohawk to a Final Four berth in the Division III state tournament.

Mohawk making a mistake with Hoover

The score shows St. Joe beating Mohawk, 1-0, but the truth was the Warriors won the baseball game.

Back on that Monday in 2010, the Warriors battled St. Joe for nine innings with Cory Huffman going the distance on the mound for Mohawk and picking up the victory.

As coach Eric Hoover walked to the bus to head back to Sycamore with the team, he remembered that his hurler had pitched an inning and a third on Saturday and realized the error of his ways. By OHSAA rules, a baseball pitcher only can pitch 10 innings in the span of three days.

Hoover told his assistant coach and immediately called athletic director Erik Baker to alert him of his faux pas. He then called the St. Joe head coach and let him know of his mistake.

People in favor of reinstating Eric Hoover

On April 15, the Mohawk School Board met and voted on renewing Coach Hoover’s volleyball contract and voted 3-2 to NOT rehire him as volleyball coach. Coach Hoover has been a phenomenal volleyball coach in his time at Mohawk and runs a fantastic program that has built on Mohawk’s tradition of excellence. Please sign in support of a great coach.